Study indicates Nebrasakans enjoy great quality of life

Monday, April 3, 2017

Area residents enjoy their live music, as evidenced by expanding local nightlife offerings, but more traditional types as well, as evidenced by Sunday’s “Folk Songs and Fiddle Tunes” concert at the Fox Theatre.

Congratulations to everyone involved in the Simply Strings organization, such as director Charles Coleman, soloists Elizabeth Knedlik and Leanne Miller, and it was touching to see a tribute to the late Maribeth Augustyn, who probably played an important part in the lives of the majority of the musicians on stage Sunday afternoon.

While it was “simply strings” — with the exception of Lonnie Weyeneth’s performance as “the ill-fated trombone player” — it’s obvious the area has the makings of a full-blown orchestra and we hope to enjoy similar high-quality concerts for years to come.

The Norris Park bandshell sees plenty of activity during the outdoor season, but in this, its 100th year, it would be great to see even more, perhaps weekly performances by a community band of the type for which it was built a century ago.

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Talented performers who are willing to share their abilities are important to the quality of life, but there are many other factors that help Nebraskans enjoy a relatively stress-free existence, according to the latest study by WalletHub.

The personal finance website analyzed 33 key metrics from 50 states and the District of Columbia, and found Nebraska near the bottom — least stressed — in all of them.

Our “worst” rating was 21st, for the number of psychologists per capita, but the other rankings may indicate why.

According to WalletHub, we’re 48th in stress in share of adults getting adequate sleep, which means we’re among the best.

Others include 42nd in adults in fair to poor health, 47th in median credit score, 50th in housing affordability, 35th in percent of population living below the poverty line, 46th in divorce rate and 33rd in crime rate per capita, all enviable rankings.

Yes, like any state, we have plenty of room for improvement, but we’ve got all the makings for “the good life” right here. (Whatever happened to that state slogan?)